WO2009104769A1

WO2009104769A1 - Touch panel sensor

Info

Publication number: WO2009104769A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/053094
Authority: WO
Inventors: 綾三木; 裕史後藤; 博行奥野; 智弥岸; 旭南部
Original assignee: 株式会社神戸製鋼所
Priority date: 2008-02-22
Filing date: 2009-02-20
Publication date: 2009-08-27
Also published as: US20100328247A1; JP5231282B2; KR101163329B1; CN101911232A; TW200947467A; JP2009245422A; CN101911232B; TWI382428B; KR20100119794A

Abstract

Disclosed is a highly reliable touch panel sensor comprising a guiding wiring that is less likely to cause an increase in electric resistance and disconnection with the elapse of time, has a low electric resistance, can ensure electrical conduction to a transparent electroconductive film, and can be connected directly to the transparent electroconductive film. The touch panel sensor comprises a transparent electroconductive film and a guiding wiring comprising an aluminum alloy film connected directly to the transparent electroconductive film. The aluminum alloy film contains 0.2 to 10 atomic% in total of at least one element selected from an X group consisting of Ni and Co. The aluminum alloy film has a hardness of 2 to 15 GPa.

Description

Touch panel sensor

The present invention relates to a touch panel sensor, and in particular, to a touch panel sensor having a transparent conductive film and a lead wiring made of an aluminum alloy film directly connected thereto.

The touch panel sensor, used as an input switch integrated with the image display device, is located on the front of the image display device. Due to its ease of use, the touch panel sensor is widely used for bank ATMs, ticket vending machines, car navigation systems, PDAs, and copy machine operation screens. in use. Examples of the input point detection method include a resistance film method, a capacitance method, an optical method, an ultrasonic surface acoustic wave method, and a piezoelectric method. Of these, the resistive film method is most widely used because of its low cost and simple structure.

A resistive film type touch panel sensor is roughly divided into an upper electrode, a lower electrode, and a tail part. A transparent conductive film provided on a substrate (for example, a film substrate) constituting the upper electrode, and a lower electrode are provided. The transparent conductive film provided on the board | substrate (for example, glass substrate) to comprise comprises the structure which opposed the spacer. When the film surface of the touch panel sensor having such a configuration is touched with a finger or a pen, the two transparent conductive films are in contact with each other, and current flows through the electrodes at both ends of the transparent conductive film. The touched position is detected by measuring the voltage division ratio due to the resistance.

In the process of manufacturing the touch panel sensor, the lead wiring for connecting the transparent conductive film and the control circuit is generally obtained by printing conductive paste such as silver paste or conductive ink by inkjet or other printing methods. It is formed. However, wiring made of pure silver or a silver alloy has poor adhesion to glass, resin, etc., and causes aggregation due to aggregation on the substrate at the connection portion with an external device, leading to defects due to increased electrical resistance or disconnection. There is a problem such as.

As a technique for improving the reliability of the routing wiring with silver paste, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of forming a part of the wiring with plating or metal foil. However, in this method, since the silver paste is used for the connection portion between the wiring formed of plating or metal foil and the external device, it is difficult to further increase the strength of the connection portion between the wiring and the external device.

Furthermore, the touch panel sensor is a sensor that senses indentation by a human finger or the like, and temporarily generates minute deformation due to stress applied during touch. Due to repeated use of the touch panel, this minute deformation repeatedly occurs, and stress is repeatedly applied to the lead wiring. Therefore, durability (resistance to stress) is also required for the wiring. However, the routing wiring formed using a conductive paste made of pure silver or a silver alloy cannot be said to have sufficient durability, and the routing wiring is easily damaged during use of the touch panel. If the routing wiring is damaged, the electrical resistance of the wiring increases and a voltage drop occurs, and the accuracy of position detection of the touch panel sensor is likely to decrease. Further, when the pen touch method is adopted, it is necessary to reduce the pitch of the wiring. However, when the paste is used, it is difficult to reduce the pitch because it is formed by a coating method.

Patent Document 2 discloses a conductive paste having excellent durability, composed of silver powder, an organic resin, and a solvent. However, the routing wiring obtained using the conductive paste made of silver powder, organic resin and solvent has an electrical resistivity of about 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ Ω · cm (about 30 times the bulk electrical resistivity of aluminum). Therefore, it is difficult to say that the wiring has a sufficiently low electric resistance.

On the other hand, it is also conceivable to apply pure aluminum having a sufficiently low electrical resistivity as a material for the lead wiring. However, when pure aluminum is used as the material for the routing wiring, there is a problem that insulating aluminum oxide is formed between the transparent conductive film and the pure aluminum film in the touch panel sensor, and electrical conductivity cannot be ensured. To do.
JP 2007-18226 A JP 2006-59720 A

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the object thereof is to prevent disconnection or increase in electrical resistance over time, exhibit low electrical resistance, and conduct electricity with a transparent conductive film. It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable touch panel sensor having a lead-out wiring that can be secured and can be directly connected to the transparent conductive film.

The gist of the present invention is shown below.
(1) A touch panel sensor having a transparent conductive film and a lead wiring made of an aluminum alloy film directly connected thereto,
The touch panel sensor, wherein the aluminum alloy film contains a total of 0.2 to 10 atomic% of at least one element selected from the group X consisting of Ni and Co, and the hardness of the aluminum alloy film is 2 to 15 GPa.
The aluminum alloy film may be referred to as a “first aluminum alloy film”.
(2) The aluminum alloy film further includes at least one element selected from the Z group consisting of rare earth elements, Ta, Ti, Cr, Mo, W, Cu, Zn, Ge, Si, and Mg in a total amount of 0.0. The touch panel sensor according to (1), wherein the total amount of at least one element selected from the X group and at least one element selected from the Z group is 10 atomic% or less.
(3) The aluminum alloy film further includes at least one element selected from the Z group consisting of rare earth elements, Ta, Ti, Cr, Mo, W, Cu, Zn, Ge, Si, and Mg in a total amount of 0.0. The touch panel sensor according to (1), wherein the total amount of at least one element selected from the X group and at least one element selected from the Z group is 10 atomic% or less.
(4) The aluminum alloy film includes a rare earth element as at least one element selected from the Z group, and the amount of the rare earth element is 0.05 atomic% or more, and at least one selected from the X group The touch panel sensor according to (2) or (3), wherein the total amount of the element and the rare earth element is 10 atomic% or less.
(5) The rare earth element is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Nd, Gd, La, Y, Ce, Pr and Dy, according to any one of (2) to (4) Touch panel sensor.
(6) The aluminum alloy film according to any one of (2) to (5), wherein the aluminum alloy film includes Cu as at least one element selected from the Z group, and the amount of Cu is 0.05 atomic% or more. Touch panel sensor.
(7) A touch panel sensor having a transparent conductive film and a lead wiring made of an aluminum alloy film directly connected thereto,
The aluminum alloy film includes 0.02 atomic% or more in total of at least one element selected from the X group consisting of Ni and Co, and 0.2 atomic% or more of Ge, and includes at least 1 selected from the X group A touch panel sensor in which the total amount of seed elements and Ge is 10 atomic% or less, and the hardness of the aluminum alloy film is 2 to 15 GPa.
The aluminum alloy film may be referred to as a “second aluminum alloy film”.
(8) The aluminum alloy film further includes 0.05% of at least one element selected from the Z ′ group consisting of rare earth elements, Ta, Ti, Cr, Mo, W, Cu, Zn, Si, and Mg. The touch panel according to (7), wherein the total amount of at least one element selected from the X group, Ge and at least one element selected from the Z ′ group is 10 atomic% or less. sensor.
(9) The aluminum alloy film includes a rare earth element as at least one element selected from the Z ′ group, and the amount of the rare earth element is 0.05 atomic% or more, and at least one selected from the X group The touch panel sensor according to (8), wherein the total amount of the element, Ge, and rare earth element is 10 atomic% or less.
(10) The touch panel sensor according to (8) or (9), wherein the rare earth element is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Nd, Gd, La, Y, Ce, Pr, and Dy.
(11) The aluminum alloy film according to any one of (8) to (10), wherein the aluminum alloy film includes Cu as at least one element selected from the Z ′ group, and the amount of Cu is 0.05 atomic% or more. The touch panel sensor described.
(12) The touch panel sensor according to any one of (1) to (11), wherein the aluminum alloy film has an electrical resistivity of 50 μΩ · cm or less.
(13) The touch panel sensor according to any one of (1) to (12), wherein the aluminum alloy film has an electrical resistivity of 25 μΩ · cm or less.
(14) The touch panel sensor according to any one of (1) to (13), wherein the transparent conductive film is substantially made of indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO).

The hardness of the aluminum alloy film can be determined by a film hardness test using a nanoindenter. In this test, continuous stiffness measurement is carried out using an XP chip using “Nano” Indenter “XP” (analysis software: Test “Works” 4) manufactured by MTS. The hardness of the aluminum alloy film can be obtained by obtaining the average value of the results of measuring 15 points under the conditions where the indentation depth is 300 nm, the excitation vibration frequency is 45 Hz, and the amplitude is 2 nm.

According to the present invention, since the routing wiring of the touch panel sensor is made of a prescribed aluminum alloy film, the electrical resistance of the wiring can be reduced, and the transparent conductive film and the wiring can be directly connected. When connecting to an external device (controller), it is difficult to cause a connection failure, and it is difficult to cause an increase in electrical resistance or disconnection over time, so that a highly reliable touch panel sensor can be provided. In addition, fine processing can be performed by forming a prescribed aluminum alloy film by sputtering and adopting a photolithography and etching process. Furthermore, the tolerance with respect to the developing solution and resist stripping solution used in the manufacturing process of the touch panel sensor can be increased. Furthermore, since there is no need to form an intervening layer for ensuring electrical conductivity between the transparent conductive layer and the aluminum alloy film, the touch panel sensor can be manufactured by a simple process without increasing the number of processes. .

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a film hardness test result using a nanoindenter. FIG. 2 is an optical micrograph showing an example of an evaluation result of resistance to the stripping solution. FIG. 3 shows cross-sectional TEM photographs of (a) Al-2 atomic% Ni-0.35 atomic% La alloy film and (b) Al-0.1 atomic% Ge-0.1 atomic% Gd alloy film.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

As described above, in the touch panel sensor, when pure aluminum is used as the routing wiring material, insulating aluminum oxide is formed at the contact interface between the transparent conductive film and the pure aluminum film, and the electrical conductivity of the interface is impaired. Problems arise. Therefore, in the present invention, in order to improve such problems of pure aluminum, attention is paid to an aluminum alloy material, and the composition of the component is examined.

By the way, as described above, the touch panel sensor may suffer from problems such as temporary stress concentration at the sensor end during normal use and disconnection due to deformation of the wiring, resulting in increased electrical resistance. . In particular, when the aluminum alloy film constituting the lead-out wiring is too soft, the deformation of the wiring is repeated due to stress concentration, causing a problem that the wiring deteriorates and breaks or peels off. On the other hand, when the aluminum alloy film is too hard, deformation hardly occurs with respect to the indentation load, so that deterioration such as microcracking or peeling may occur. From the above, in the present invention, the hardness of the aluminum alloy film (first aluminum alloy film, second aluminum alloy film) constituting the routing wiring is 2 GPa or more (preferably 2.5 GPa or more) and 15 GPa or less (preferably 10 GPa or less, more preferably 8 GPa or less).

The present inventors show that the above-mentioned appropriate hardness is not likely to cause disconnection or increase in electrical resistance over time, and has a low electrical resistance and can secure electrical conductivity with the transparent conductive film. It has been found that the wiring may be made of an aluminum alloy film (first aluminum alloy film) containing a certain amount of Ni and / or Co. Hereinafter, the first aluminum alloy film will be described.

The reason why the electrical conductivity with the transparent conductive film can be ensured when the routing wiring in the touch panel sensor is made of the above-described aluminum alloy film is not fully understood, but the formation of highly insulating aluminum oxide And / or a conductive path is formed at the interface between the transparent conductive film and the aluminum alloy film to ensure electrical conductivity with the transparent conductive film. Moreover, it is thought that the film | membrane which shows the said appropriate hardness is realizable by solid solution strengthening by containing said Ni and / or Co.

Thus, in order to obtain an aluminum alloy film (first aluminum alloy film) that exhibits appropriate hardness, low electrical resistivity, and electrical conductivity with the transparent conductive film, it is selected from the X group consisting of Ni and Co. It is necessary to contain a total of 0.2 atomic% or more (preferably 0.3 atomic% or more) of at least one kind of element (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “X group element”). On the other hand, if the content of the X group element is too large, the electrical resistivity of the aluminum alloy film itself tends to increase and the hardness of the film tends to be higher than necessary. Therefore, the total of at least one element selected from the group X consisting of Ni and Co is 10 atomic% or less (preferably 8 atomic% or less).

In order to realize the aluminum alloy film having the appropriate hardness, as described above, a prescribed amount of X group element (the following Z group element is included as necessary) is used, and a sputtering method is employed as a film forming method. It is preferable to uniformly disperse the X group element and adjust the substrate temperature and Ar gas pressure during sputtering as the conditions for forming the aluminum alloy film. As the substrate temperature is higher, the film quality of the formed film is closer to the bulk, a dense film is easily formed, and the hardness of the film tends to increase. Further, as the Ar gas pressure is increased, the density of the film decreases and the hardness of the film tends to decrease. Such adjustment of the film forming conditions is also preferable from the viewpoint of suppressing the sparseness of the film structure and easily causing corrosion.

In addition to the X group element, at least one element selected from the Z group consisting of rare earth elements, Ta, Ti, Cr, Mo, W, Cu, Zn, Ge, Si, and Mg (hereinafter referred to as “ It may also be referred to as “group Z element”). As the rare earth element used in the present invention, Sc (scandium) and Y (yttrium) are added to a lanthanoid element (a total of 15 elements from La of atomic number 57 to Lu of atomic number 71 in the periodic table). Means the same element group (hereinafter the same).

The inclusion of the Z group element makes it easier to adjust the hardness of the film and increases the resistance to a strong alkaline developer or resist stripper used in the manufacturing process. Specifically, for example, aluminum elution and corrosion can be suppressed in a resist development process using TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide aqueous solution) and a resist stripping / cleaning process using an amine-based stripping solution. Can be suppressed.

In order to sufficiently exhibit the above effects, it is preferable to contain a total of 0.05 atomic% of the Z group elements. More preferably, the Z group elements are contained in a total amount of 0.15 atomic% or more (more preferably 0.2 atomic% or more). However, if the Z group element is excessively contained, the electrical resistivity of the aluminum alloy film itself tends to increase as in the case of the X group element, and the hardness of the film tends to be higher than necessary. Therefore, the content of the Z group element is preferably set so that the total amount of the X group element and the Z group element is 10 atomic% or less (more preferably 7 atomic% or less).

It is preferable that the Z group element contains a rare earth element and the rare earth element content is 0.05 atomic% or more. More preferably, it is 0.1 atomic% or more. However, if the rare earth element is excessively contained, the electrical resistivity of the aluminum alloy film itself is likely to increase and the hardness of the film tends to be higher than necessary as in the case of the X group element. Therefore, it is preferable that the rare earth element content is such that the total amount of the X group element and the rare earth element is 10 atomic% or less (more preferably 7 atomic% or less).

More preferably, the rare earth element is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Nd, Gd, La, Y, Ce, Pr and Dy.

Among the Z group elements, for example, La, Nd, Cu, Ge, and Gd are more preferably used, and one or more of these are more preferably used in any combination.

By including Cu among the above Z group elements, it is possible to finely disperse precipitates of the X group element, that is, Ni and / or Co, and as a result, the resistance to the resist stripping solution (stripping solution resistance) is improved. Can be made.

In order to sufficiently exhibit the above effect, it is preferable to contain 0.05 atomic% or more of Cu. More preferably, it is 0.1 atomic% or more.

Further, the above-described effect is remarkably manifested by containing a certain amount or more of Cu with respect to the amount of group X element contained in the aluminum alloy film. Specifically, the effect is remarkable when Cu (atomic%) / X group element (atomic%) is 0.3 or more. The Cu (atomic%) / X group element (atomic%) is more preferably 0.5 or more. The upper limit of Cu (atomic%) / X group element (atomic%) is not particularly limited, and Cu (atomic%) / X group element (from the lower limit of Cu amount and the upper limit of X group element amount) The upper limit of (atomic%) is 2.5.

As the first aluminum alloy film, for example, Al-2 atomic% Ni-0.35 atomic% La alloy film, Al-1 atomic% Ni-0.5 atomic% Cu-0.35 atomic% La alloy film, Al-- A 0.6 atomic% Ni-0.5 atomic% Cu-0.3 atomic% La alloy film may be mentioned.

In the present invention, as an aluminum alloy film used for the lead wiring of the touch panel sensor, a total of 0.02 atomic% or more of group X elements (at least one element selected from group X consisting of Ni and Co), and Ge An aluminum alloy film (second aluminum alloy film) containing 0.2 atomic% or more and having a total amount of the X group element and Ge of 10 atomic% or less is also defined.

The group X element in the second aluminum alloy film exhibits appropriate hardness as a lead wiring, is less likely to cause disconnection or increase in electrical resistance over time, exhibits low electrical resistance, and is electrically conductive with the transparent conductive film. It is an element that is effective in realizing excellent products. The reason why the excellent electrical conductivity with the transparent conductive film can be ensured is that, by the combined addition with Ge, (1) the formation of highly insulating aluminum oxide is suppressed as in the case of the first aluminum alloy film. And / or (2) It is conceivable that a conductive path is formed at the interface between the transparent conductive film and the aluminum alloy film to ensure electrical conductivity with the transparent conductive film.

As described above, excellent electrical conductivity with the ITO film can be ensured by adding Ge and the X group element in combination even when the content of the X group element is relatively small. From such a viewpoint, the lower limit of the X group element amount of the second aluminum alloy film is made 0.02 atomic% in total. The X group element amount of the second aluminum alloy film is preferably 0.05 atomic% or more, more preferably 0.07 atomic% or more. On the other hand, when the amount of the X group element is too large, the electrical resistance of the aluminum alloy film itself tends to increase and the hardness of the film tends to be higher than necessary. Therefore, the X group element amount is 10 atomic% or less (more preferably 7 atomic% or less) in total with Ge.

Ge corresponds to a Z group element contained as necessary in the first aluminum alloy film, but in the second aluminum alloy film, a certain amount or more of Ge described later has a relatively small content of the X group element. Even if it is a case, the effect that the outstanding electrical conductivity with an ITO film | membrane can be ensured is exhibited. Further, Ge is an element effective for increasing the resistance to an alkaline aqueous solution, such as a strong alkaline developer or an aqueous solution of an amine-based resist stripping solution, and is also an element that contributes somewhat to improving the hardness of the aluminum alloy film. .

In order to exert the effect of adding the Ge, 0.2 atomic% or more of Ge is contained. Preferably it is 0.3 atomic% or more, More preferably, it is 0.4 atomic% or more, More preferably, it is 0.5 atomic% or more. On the other hand, when Ge is excessively contained, the electrical resistivity of the aluminum alloy film itself tends to increase, and the hardness of the film tends to be higher than necessary. Therefore, the Ge amount in the second aluminum alloy film is 10 atomic% or less (more preferably 7 atomic% or less) in total with the X group element as described above.

In addition to the X group element and Ge, the second aluminum alloy film further includes at least one selected from the Z ′ group consisting of rare earth elements, Ta, Ti, Cr, Mo, W, Cu, Zn, Si, and Mg. A seed element (hereinafter, also referred to as “Z ′ group element”) may be contained.

By containing the Z ′ group element, it becomes easier to increase the hardness of the film as in the case of the Z group element described above, and the resistance to strongly alkaline developer and resist stripping solution used in the manufacturing process is increased. be able to. Specifically, for example, aluminum elution and corrosion can be suppressed in a resist development process using TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide aqueous solution) and a resist stripping / cleaning process using an amine-based stripping solution. Can be suppressed.

In order to fully exhibit the above effects, it is preferable to contain a total of 0.05 atomic% or more of the Z ′ group elements. More preferably, it is 0.1 atomic% or more. However, when the Z ′ group element is excessively contained, the electrical resistivity of the aluminum alloy film itself tends to increase and the hardness of the film tends to be higher than necessary as in the case of the X group element and Ge. . Therefore, the content of the Z ′ group element is preferably set so that the total amount of the X group element, Ge, and the Z ′ group element is 10 atomic% or less (more preferably 7 atomic% or less).

It is preferable that the Z ′ group element contains a rare earth element and the rare earth element content is 0.05 atomic% or more. More preferably, it is 0.1 atomic% or more. However, if the rare earth element is excessively contained, the electrical resistivity of the aluminum alloy film itself is likely to increase and the hardness of the film tends to be higher than necessary as in the case of the X group element and Ge. Therefore, the content of the rare earth element is preferably set so that the total amount of the X group element, Ge, and the rare earth element is 10 atomic% or less (more preferably 7 atomic% or less).

The rare earth element is preferably at least one element selected from the group consisting of Nd, Gd, La, Y, Ce, Pr and Dy.

As the second aluminum alloy film containing the X group element, Ge and rare earth elements, for example, an Nd or La alloy film of Al-0.1 atomic% X group element-Ge-0.3 atomic% or more (for example, Al-0. 1 atomic% Ni-0.5 atomic% Ge-0.5 atomic% Nd alloy film), Al-0.2 atomic% Ni-0.5 atomic% Ge-0.2 atomic% La alloy film, Al- 0.2 atomic% Ni-0.5 atomic% Ge-0.2 atomic% La alloy film, Al-0.1 atomic% Ni-0.5 atomic% Ge-0.3 atomic% Nd alloy film, Al- Examples include 0.2 atomic% Co-0.5 atomic% Ge-0.2 atomic% La alloy film and Al-0.1 atomic% Co-0.5 atomic% Ge-0.3 atomic% Nd alloy film. It is done.

In addition, by including Cu in particular among the Z ′ group elements, precipitates of the X group elements, that is, Ni and / or Co can be finely dispersed, and as a result, the resistance to the stripping solution can be improved. .

In order to sufficiently exhibit the above effects, it is preferable to contain 0.05 atomic% or more of Cu. More preferably, it is 0.07 atomic% or more.

Further, the above effect is remarkably manifested by adding a certain amount or more of Cu with respect to the amount of group X element contained in the second aluminum alloy film. Specifically, the effect is remarkable when Cu (atomic%) / X group element (atomic%) is 0.3 or more. The Cu (atomic%) / X group element (atomic%) is more preferably 0.5 or more. The upper limit of Cu (atomic%) / X group element (atomic%) is not particularly limited, and Cu (atomic%) / X group element (from the lower limit of Cu amount and the upper limit of X group element amount) The upper limit of (atomic%) is 25.

In order to obtain the second aluminum alloy film having the appropriate hardness, the specified amounts of the X group element and Ge (Z ′ group element as necessary) are contained, and the film formation conditions of the aluminum alloy film are as follows: It is preferable to adjust the substrate temperature and the Ar gas pressure. As the substrate temperature is higher, the film quality of the formed film is closer to the bulk, a dense film is easily formed, and the hardness of the film tends to increase. Further, as the Ar gas pressure is increased, the density of the film decreases and the hardness of the film tends to decrease. Such adjustment of the film forming conditions is also preferable from the viewpoint of suppressing the sparseness of the film structure and easily causing corrosion.

In the first aluminum alloy film and the second aluminum alloy film according to the present invention, the improvement in hardness can also be achieved by refining Al crystal grains. For the refinement of Al crystal grains, it is effective to add an alloy element according to the thermal history of the aluminum alloy film received in the manufacturing process, and the thermal history of the aluminum alloy film (for example, the insulating film ( When the heat treatment temperature during the formation of the (SiN film) is high (about 250 ° C. or higher), a rare earth element or a refractory metal (Ta, Ti, Cr, Mo, W) is added as an alloy element. When the crystal grain can be refined and the thermal history of the aluminum alloy film is low (about 200 ° C. or less), Ge is added as an alloy element to refine the Al crystal grain. Can do.

The component composition of the first aluminum alloy film and the second aluminum alloy film according to the present invention (hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as “aluminum alloy film”) is as described above, and the balance is aluminum and inevitable impurities. is there. As the inevitable impurities, for example, inevitable impurities (for example, oxygen (O) or the like) mixed in the manufacturing process of the aluminum alloy film may be included.

By adopting the above configuration, an aluminum alloy film constituting the lead wiring of the touch panel sensor should have an electrical resistivity of 50 μΩ · cm or less, preferably 25 μΩ · cm or less (more preferably 20 μΩ · cm or less). Can do.

The present invention does not define the method for forming the aluminum alloy film, but it is preferably formed by a sputtering method from the viewpoint of thinning the wire and homogenizing the alloy components in the film. Moreover, although the said aluminum alloy film can also be formed with a vapor deposition method, the sputtering method is more preferable from a viewpoint of controlling easily the amount of additional elements.

The touch panel sensor of the present invention is not particularly limited in the configuration other than the lead wiring composed of an aluminum alloy film directly connected to the transparent conductive film, and any configuration known in the field can be adopted.

For example, a resistive touch panel sensor can be manufactured as follows. That is, after forming a transparent conductive film on the substrate, resist coating, exposure, development, and etching are sequentially performed, then an aluminum alloy film is formed, and resist coating, exposure, development, and etching are performed to route the wiring. Then, an insulating film or the like covering the wiring can be formed to form the upper electrode. Also, after forming a transparent conductive film on the substrate, photolithography is performed in the same manner as the upper electrode, and then, as in the case of the upper electrode, a lead wiring made of an aluminum alloy film is formed, and then the wiring is covered. An insulating film to be formed is formed, and a micro dot, a spacer, or the like is formed to form a lower electrode. And a touch panel sensor can be manufactured by laminating the above-mentioned upper electrode, lower electrode, and tail portion formed separately.

The transparent conductive film is not particularly specified, but as a representative example, one made of indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO) can be used. In addition, as the substrate (transparent substrate), for example, glass, polycarbonate, or polyamide can be used as a commonly used substrate. For example, the substrate of the lower electrode that is a fixed electrode is made of glass. And a polycarbonate film or the like can be used for the substrate of the upper electrode that needs flexibility.

Further, the touch panel sensor of the present invention can be used as a touch panel sensor such as a capacitive method or an ultrasonic surface acoustic wave method in addition to the resistive film method.

In the following, in order to confirm that the aluminum alloy film according to the present invention is suitable as the lead wiring of the touch panel sensor, hardness test, evaluation of electrical conductivity with the transparent conductive film, measurement of electrical resistivity of the aluminum alloy film And the resistance to the developer or the stripper was evaluated.

In the present embodiment, the present invention will be described in more detail. However, the present invention is not limited by the present embodiment, and may be implemented with appropriate modifications within a range that can meet the above and the following purposes. Of course, any of these is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

<Example 1> (Hardness test with nanoindenter)
Using an alkali-free glass plate (thickness 0.7 mm, diameter 4 inches) as a substrate, an aluminum alloy film shown in Tables 1 to 6 below (with a film thickness of about 300 nm) is formed on the surface by DC magnetron sputtering. did. Before film formation, the atmosphere in the chamber is once set to an ultimate vacuum of 3 × 10 ⁻⁶ Torr, and then a disk type target having the same component composition as each aluminum alloy film and having a diameter of 4 inches is used. It carried out on the conditions shown in. In addition, the composition of the formed aluminum alloy film was confirmed by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometry.
(Sputtering conditions)
Ar gas pressure: 2 mTorr
Ar gas flow rate: 30sccm
・ Sputtering power: 260W
・ Substrate temperature: Room temperature

Using the aluminum alloy film obtained as described above, a film hardness test using a nanoindenter was performed. In this test, continuous stiffness measurement was performed using an XP chip using “Nano Indenter XP” (analysis software: Test “Works” 4) manufactured by MTS. The indentation depth was 300 nm, the average value of the results of measuring 15 points under the conditions of excitation vibration frequency: 45 Hz and amplitude: 2 nm was determined. The same measurement was performed on a sample in which a pure aluminum film was formed instead of the aluminum alloy film.

An example of the above measurement results is shown in FIG. 1 (in addition, sample No. in FIG. 1 is given for convenience of measurement and is not related to No. in Tables 1 to 6). Although FIG. 1 shows the case of an Al-2 atomic% Ni-0.35 atomic% La alloy film, the same measurement was performed for the aluminum alloy films and pure aluminum films in Tables 1 to 6.

The results are shown in Tables 1-6. The following can be considered from Tables 1-6. With the addition of alloy elements (group X element, group Z element in the first aluminum alloy film, group X element, Ge, rare earth element in the second aluminum alloy film), the hardness of the aluminum alloy film tends to increase. In the first aluminum alloy film, it is understood that when the Z group element is added, the upper limit of the content of the X group element and the Z group element should be 10 atomic% in order to reduce the hardness to 10 GPa or less. .

<Example 2> (Lower: Transparent conductive film and Upper: Evaluation of electrical conductivity of aluminum alloy film)
Below, the connection resistance value of both the contact parts at the time of laminating | stacking in order of a transparent conductive film and an aluminum alloy film was measured, and the electrical conductivity with the transparent conductive film of the aluminum alloy film in this laminated structure was evaluated.

A non-alkali glass plate (plate thickness 0.7 mm, diameter 4 inches) is used as a substrate, and an ITO film or IZO film (thickness of 50 nm or less), which is an oxide transparent conductive film, is formed on the surface by DC magnetron sputtering. The film was formed at room temperature and patterned by photolithography and etching. Next, an aluminum alloy film shown in Tables 1 to 6 (thickness of about 300 nm) was formed on the upper portion in the same manner as in Example 1 above. Then, resist coating, exposure, and development with tetramethylammonium hydroxide aqueous solution (TMAH) are performed on the aluminum alloy film to form a Kelvin pattern (the contact area between the transparent conductive film and the aluminum alloy film is 80 μm square). did.

Using this Kelvin pattern, the connection resistance value at the interface between the transparent conductive film and the aluminum alloy film was measured by a four-terminal Kelvin method. For the measurement, a four-terminal manual prober and a semiconductor parameter analyzer “HP4156A” (manufactured by Hewlett-Packard Company) were used.

Then, those having a connection resistance value of 150Ω or less were determined to be good, and those exceeding 150Ω were determined to be defective. The same measurement was performed on a sample in which a pure aluminum film was formed instead of the aluminum alloy film. However, the sample on which the pure aluminum film was formed could not be measured due to poor electrical contact.

The above measurement results are shown in Tables 1-6. From Tables 1 to 6, it can be seen that the content of the group X element should be 0.2 atomic% or more in order to ensure electrical conductivity with the transparent conductive film.

<Example 3> (Lower: aluminum alloy film and upper: Evaluation of electrical conductivity of transparent conductive film)
Below, the connection resistance value of the contact part at the time of laminating | stacking in order of an aluminum alloy film and a transparent conductive film was measured, and the electrical conductivity with the transparent conductive film of the aluminum alloy film in this laminated structure was evaluated.

An alkali-free glass plate (plate thickness 0.7 mm, diameter 4 inches) was used as a substrate, and an aluminum alloy film (thickness of about 300 nm) shown in Tables 1 to 6 was formed on the surface in the same manner as in Example 1 above. Filmed. Next, these samples were subjected to heat treatment at 270 ° C. for 10 minutes while simulating the thermal history in the manufacturing process. The heat treatment atmosphere was a vacuum (degree of vacuum: 3 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa or less) or a nitrogen atmosphere. Then, patterning by photolithography and etching was performed. Next, an ITO film or an IZO film (film thickness: 50 nm or less) is formed on the upper portion in the same manner as in Example 2 above, and then photolithography and etching are performed to form a Kelvin pattern (transparent conductive film and aluminum). The contact area with the alloy film was 80 μm square), and the connection resistance value was measured by the four-terminal Kelvin method in the same manner as in Example 2 above.

The connection resistance value was measured by performing a heat treatment at 250 ° C. for 30 minutes in a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere after forming the as-deposited Kelvin pattern formed as described above and the aluminum alloy film, Thereafter, heat treatment was performed at 270 ° C. for 10 minutes simulating the thermal history, and then the Kelvin pattern formed as described above was performed.

The above measurement results are shown in Tables 1-6. From Tables 1 to 6, in order to ensure electrical conductivity with the transparent conductive film, in the case of the first aluminum alloy film, the content of the X group element is 0.2 atomic% or more, and in the case of the second aluminum alloy film, It can be seen that the X group element content may be 0.02 atomic% or more and the Ge content may be 0.2 atomic% or more.

Also, from Tables 1 to 6, the sample subjected to the heat treatment at 250 ° C. for 30 minutes after forming the aluminum alloy film tends to have a lower connection resistance with the transparent conductive film than the sample not subjected to the heat treatment. I can confirm that.

This is presumably because the alloy element contained in the aluminum alloy is precipitated out of the aluminum crystal grains by the heat treatment, and a conductive path is formed near the interface between the transparent conductive film and the aluminum alloy film.

There are the following merits by applying heat treatment. That is, when the aluminum alloy film is heat-treated at a temperature of 250 ° C. or higher in a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere before the resist development process by TMAH for routing wiring patterning, pinholes and through grain boundaries are caused by the structural change of the aluminum alloy. It is possible to reduce or eliminate voids. In addition, the substrate temperature is heated to a temperature of 100 ° C. or higher to form an aluminum alloy film, and the temperature of 100 ° C. or higher is applied in a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere before the resist development process by TMAH for wiring patterning. When the heat treatment is performed, the coverage of the aluminum alloy film (particularly the coverage at the oxide transparent conductive film pattern end) is improved, and corrosion due to the penetration of a chemical solution such as a developer can be prevented.

Furthermore, galvanic corrosion can be suppressed by performing heat treatment. Galvanic corrosion is said to occur when the electrode potential difference between different metals is large, such as an oxide transparent conductive film such as ITO and a pure aluminum film. For example, the electrode potential with respect to an Ag / AgCl standard electrode in an aqueous tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution that is an alkaline developer of photoresist is about -0.17 V for amorphous-ITO and about -0.19 V for poly-ITO. On the other hand, pure aluminum is very low at about -1.93V. Furthermore, pure aluminum is very easily oxidized as described above. Therefore, during immersion in the TMAH aqueous solution, a battery reaction occurs at the interface between the pure aluminum film and the oxide transparent conductive film, and corrosion occurs. When the TMAH aqueous solution penetrates to the interface with the oxide transparent conductive film along the pinholes and through grain boundaries generated in the aluminum alloy film and galvanic corrosion occurs at the interface, various problems such as oxide transparent conductive film are caused. Black, resulting in pixel blackening, poor pattern formation such as thinning and disconnection of wiring, increased connection resistance between the pure aluminum film and the transparent oxide conductive film, and display (lighting) defects.

In the present invention, the galvanic corrosion can be further suppressed by performing the heat treatment. The reason for this heat treatment is that the precipitation of Ni and / or Co in the aluminum alloy film is promoted to increase the electrode potential of the aluminum alloy film, and the electrode potential difference with the transparent conductive film is reduced, thereby suppressing galvanic corrosion. Conceivable.

From the above, the heat treatment as described above may be performed on the aluminum alloy film in order to further improve the electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance with the transparent conductive film.

<Example 4> (Measurement of electrical resistivity of aluminum alloy film)
An alkali-free glass plate (plate thickness 0.7 mm, diameter 4 inches) was used as a substrate, and an aluminum alloy film (thickness of about 300 nm) shown in Tables 1 to 6 was formed on the surface in the same manner as in Example 1 above. Filmed. Thereafter, without performing heat treatment after film formation, photolithography and etching by TMAH are performed to form a stripe-like pattern (pattern for measuring electrical resistivity) having a width of 100 μm and a length of 10 mm, and then the electric resistance of the pattern Was measured at room temperature by a direct current four-probe method using a prober. Then, those having an electrical resistivity exceeding 50 μΩ · cm were evaluated as poor, and those having an electrical resistivity of 50 μΩ · cm or less were evaluated as good. The same measurement was performed on a sample in which a pure aluminum film was formed instead of the aluminum alloy film.

The results are also shown in Tables 1-6. From Tables 1 to 6, as the amount of alloy elements (X group element and Z group element) in the first aluminum alloy film and the amount of alloy elements (X group element, Ge and rare earth elements) in the second aluminum alloy film increase, From the viewpoint of reducing the electrical resistivity, the total amount of the X group element and the Z group element in the first aluminum alloy film, the X group element in the second aluminum alloy film, Ge and It can be seen that the total amount of rare earth elements may be 10 atomic% or less.

<Example 5> (Evaluation of resistance to stripping solution)
An alkali-free glass plate (plate thickness 0.7 mm, diameter 4 inches) was used as a substrate, and an aluminum alloy film (thickness of about 300 nm) shown in Tables 1 to 6 was formed on the surface in the same manner as in Example 1 above. Filmed.

The aluminum alloy film was subjected to a heat treatment at 320 ° C. for 30 minutes in a nitrogen flow while simulating a heat history in the manufacturing process, and then an amine-based stripping solution (manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd .: “TOK106”). ) In an aqueous solution (adjusted to pH 10) for 5 minutes. Then, the case where the number of black spots found in the aluminum alloy film after immersion is very small compared to the number of black spots found in the Al-2 atomic% Ni-0.35 atomic% La alloy film after immersion is A. (Excellent), the case where it was small was evaluated as B (good), the case where it was equivalent was evaluated as C, and the case where it was large was evaluated as D (bad).

The same evaluation was performed on a sample in which a pure aluminum film was formed instead of the aluminum alloy film.

The results are also shown in Tables 1-6. From Tables 1 to 6, it can be seen that in order to increase the resistance to the stripping solution, it is preferable to contain the Z group element or the Z ′ group element in an amount of 0.05 atomic% or more, preferably 0.15 atomic% or more. In particular, by containing Cu, precipitates derived from group X elements are refined, and as a result, it is confirmed that even when exposed to an aqueous stripping solution, enormous corrosion is unlikely to occur and the stripping solution has better resistance. did.

Further, the surface of the aluminum alloy film after the immersion was observed with an optical microscope. An example of the observation is shown in FIG. From FIG. 2, when Al (Ni-La) alloy is further added with In (an element that is not an alloying element defined in the present invention), a black spot is observed on the entire surface of the film, and resistance to the above stripping solution is not obtained. I understand. In contrast, in the case of the aluminum alloy film according to the present invention in which Mg is further added to the Al—Ni—La alloy, it can be seen that the number of black spots is small. Such an effect was confirmed also for Z group elements and Z ′ group elements other than Mg. From this, it is understood that the resistance to the stripping solution can be ensured by adding the recommended amount of the Z group element or the Z ′ group element.

<Example 6> (Evaluation of resistance to developer)
An alkali-free glass plate (plate thickness 0.7 mm, diameter 4 inches) was used as a substrate, and an aluminum alloy film (thickness of about 300 nm) shown in Tables 1 to 6 was formed on the surface in the same manner as in Example 1 above. Filmed.

Then, resist application, exposure, and development with a developer (TMAH) (2.38% by mass) are performed on the aluminum alloy film, the resist is removed with acetone, and the film thickness of the aluminum alloy film is measured with a step gauge. It was measured. Then, the etching rate conversion (thickness reduction per minute) of the aluminum alloy by TMAH is obtained, and the thickness reduction per minute is compared with the case of the Al-2.5 atomic% Ni alloy film. A small case was designated as A (good), an equivalent case was designated as B, and a larger case was designated as C (defective).

The results are also shown in Tables 1-6. From Tables 1 to 6, by adding the Z group element or the Z ′ group element, the thickness reduction amount (etching amount) of the aluminum alloy film when immersed in the developer is decreased. It can be confirmed that the addition of the group element contributes to the improvement of the resistance of the aluminum alloy to the developer. In addition, it is understood that 0.05 atomic% or more of the Z group element or the Z ′ group element is preferably contained in order to sufficiently exhibit such an effect.

Further, as an example of the structure observation of the aluminum alloy film, FIG. 3 shows (a) Al-2 atomic% Ni-0.35 atomic% La alloy film, (b) Al-0.1 atomic% Ge-0.1. A cross-sectional TEM photograph of an atomic% Gd alloy film is shown. 3 (a) and 3 (b) are compared, the (a) Al-2 atomic% Ni-0.35 atomic% La alloy film satisfying the component composition of the present invention has fine crystal grains. I understand that.

In addition, the film hardness satisfies 2 to 15 GPa, the electrical conductivity of the aluminum alloy film is satisfactory in the evaluation (connection resistance value is 150Ω or less), the electrical resistivity satisfies 50 μΩ · cm or less, and the resistance to the stripping solution is evaluated. Is A to C and the evaluation of the resistance to the developer is A or B, the overall judgment is defined as A, and the others are defined as B.

Although the present invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application is based on a Japanese patent application filed on Feb. 22, 2008 (Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-041662), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

A touch panel sensor having a transparent conductive film and a lead wiring made of an aluminum alloy film directly connected thereto,
The touch panel sensor, wherein the aluminum alloy film contains a total of 0.2 to 10 atomic% of at least one element selected from the group X consisting of Ni and Co, and the hardness of the aluminum alloy film is 2 to 15 GPa.
The aluminum alloy film further includes at least one element selected from the Z group consisting of rare earth elements, Ta, Ti, Cr, Mo, W, Cu, Zn, Ge, Si and Mg in a total of 0.05 atomic%. 2. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein the total amount of at least one element selected from the group X and at least one element selected from the group Z is 10 atomic% or less.
The aluminum alloy film further includes at least one element selected from the Z group consisting of rare earth elements, Ta, Ti, Cr, Mo, W, Cu, Zn, Ge, Si, and Mg in a total amount of 0.15 atomic%. 2. The touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein the total amount of at least one element selected from the group X and at least one element selected from the group Z is 10 atomic% or less.
The aluminum alloy film includes a rare earth element as at least one element selected from the Z group, and the amount of the rare earth element is 0.05 atomic% or more, and at least one element selected from the X group and the rare earth The touch panel sensor according to claim 2, wherein the total amount of elements is 10 atomic% or less.
The touch panel sensor according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the rare earth element is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Nd, Gd, La, Y, Ce, Pr, and Dy.
The touch panel sensor according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the aluminum alloy film contains Cu as at least one element selected from the Z group, and the amount of Cu is 0.05 atomic% or more.
A touch panel sensor having a transparent conductive film and a lead wiring made of an aluminum alloy film directly connected thereto,
The aluminum alloy film includes 0.02 atomic% or more in total of at least one element selected from the X group consisting of Ni and Co, and 0.2 atomic% or more of Ge, and includes at least 1 selected from the X group A touch panel sensor in which the total amount of seed elements and Ge is 10 atomic% or less, and the hardness of the aluminum alloy film is 2 to 15 GPa.
The aluminum alloy film further includes at least one element selected from the Z ′ group consisting of rare earth elements, Ta, Ti, Cr, Mo, W, Cu, Zn, Si, and Mg in a total of 0.05 atomic% or more. The touch panel sensor according to claim 7, further comprising: a total amount of at least one element selected from the X group, Ge, and at least one element selected from the Z ′ group is 10 atomic% or less.
The aluminum alloy film includes a rare earth element as at least one element selected from the Z ′ group, and the amount of the rare earth element is 0.05 atomic% or more, and at least one element selected from the X group, The touch panel sensor according to claim 8, wherein the total amount of Ge and rare earth elements is 10 atomic% or less.
10. The touch panel sensor according to claim 8, wherein the rare earth element is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Nd, Gd, La, Y, Ce, Pr, and Dy.
11. The touch panel sensor according to claim 8, wherein the aluminum alloy film contains Cu as at least one element selected from the Z ′ group, and the amount of Cu is 0.05 atomic% or more.
The touch panel sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein an electrical resistivity of the aluminum alloy film is 50 µΩ · cm or less.
The touch panel sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein an electrical resistivity of the aluminum alloy film is 25 µΩ · cm or less.
The touch panel sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the transparent conductive film is substantially made of indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO).